Warriors of the Gridiron
by Devi77
Summary: This is my fifth Naruto High School story. It features Naruto battling exhaustion after a football game as he recovers for the weekend. He even goes to the movies with Sasuke and Sakura as he later meets up with Hinata to see a football-themed action flick.


**Naruto High School**

**Story 5: Warriors of the Gridiron**

(Rated T for mild violence, adult content, and adult language.)

(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own _Naruto_ because it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. As for the drama in high school, it really has some coolness in it. So, enjoy the show!)

It was a brisk evening as everyone here was spending it at the football field. The game of football was no stranger to being on the grounds of Konoha Academy, but it was a sport that soared in the ranks of soccer, volleyball, swimming, and cross country. Fall sports were always a group of great past times for people in Konoha City as they brought families together in many ways than one. As for Naruto, however, he was sitting in the bleachers as he watched the Konoha Flames take on the Iwa Spartans on a Friday night. It was a score that was like nothing before as both teams were deadlocked in a battle for supremacy on the football field. Naruto was simply seeing the sports go back and forth in high school as they were also part of the curriculum in the ethics of learning.

"Come on! Pick up the pace!" he yelled as he was cheering the Konoha Flames on.

"What's the use?" said Kankuro glumfully as he watched the game.

"Hey, what's with you?"

"When my siblings and I were transferred here, Suna Academy had a teachers' strike and they cut off the funding for sports. It sucks to have the Suna Cyclones sit on the sidelines."

"The Suna Cyclones? Wait! I've heard of them before when they took the state championship for four years in a row. It's kind of lame just to see them out of the football roster."

"Recently, Gaara, Temari, and I were transferred here to Konoha Academy after the teachers' strike didn't end. It's because of the looming budget cuts and stuff and they recently cut off classes for sports and not the slow ones like _go_, chess, _mah jongg_, checkers, and _shogi_. Well, at least we still have those until the Suna Academy committee reaches an agreement to end the strike."

"Shikamaru's into those games. He looks at the pieces like a strategy. He's even into those silly board games like _Risk _and _Battleship_ along with the _Farming Game_."

"Sounds like he knows Milton-Bradley a lot well when it comes to that stuff."

_FUUUUMMMMM!_

The sound of the buzzer shook the entire football field as the game was over. Naruto and Kankuro had saw that the Konoha Flames won over the Iwa Spartans with a score of 37-24. With the fleeting touchdown sealing the fate of the opponent, the Konoha Flames were on top as they had their star linebacker, Jugo, to thank. Victory was sweet as the team were most likely to be in the running of a state championship after all. Even Jugo was exuberant as he grabbed the bucket full of Gatorade and poured it on his head for a job well done. There was also the special thanks to two new players on the team in which they were freshmen who were familiar in this sport. It wasn't long until Naruto saw his uncle, Namu, come out into the open as he was also the coach for the football team. He was the type who wanted his team to be on its toes when it came to be on the field. He was also proud of his team as he saluted them with a party to celebrate their victory over the Iwa Spartans.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said. "I wanna congratulate the entire team for its win over Iwa Academy. It's also the first time that this team is heading to the quarterfinals for state championship. And furthermore, I would also like to congratulate Jugo on his job well done as well as our freshman recruits, Choji Akimichi and Kiba Inuzuka."

The audience cheered as everyone was proud of the winning team. Even Naruto was glad that his uncle propelled the team to victory until he was starting to feel faint. Kankuro had noticed that he was hard at work these days as he was feeling the strain of it. It wasn't long until Naruto was about to faint after standing up on the bleachers as he fell backwards. He couldn't take the exhaustion as he was tired from all that work regimen that he went through since he came here to Konoha Academy. He was tired, but he also had to take it easy for a while as he saw two gym assistants coming up the bleachers with a stretcher.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"You're getting kind of tired, you know," said Kankuro.

"Am I gonna be okay?"

"Maybe you need to get home and rest."

Without hesitation, Naruto was being carted away in a stretcher as he was tired and exhausted. He had never been like this before, but he had to get an examination before he went home. This was highly unlikely for him to be exhausted at a time like this, but he needed to be taken to a doctor first.

###

Jugo was busy showering off as he was happy from his victory at the football field. Even though he was part of the nosy trio, he was also one of the seniors that was about to graduate from Konoha Academy. He also had a future ahead as he decided to go to Flanagan College instead of Konoha University. After he finished cleaning up, he grabbed a towel as he went towards his locker and got out his clean clothes while he put them on. And so, he was clean as he later saw Sasuke and Suigetsu standing in the boys' locker room waiting for him to leave and join them for a victory dinner.

"Hey, big guy," said Suigetsu. "You coming with us?"

"I was on my way out of the locker room," answered Jugo.

"Coach Namu's been waiting for you. So, aren't you coming?"

"Yeah, yeah; by the way, that kid got taken to the hospital."

"Was it one of the football players?"

"Nope, it was that kid who threw that pizza party."

"What?! Are you serious?!" cried Sasuke.

"No doubt about it. Everyone says that he's been working himself hard too much."

"You guys go on ahead. I'm going to pay a certain friend a visit."

And so, Sasuke left the locker room as he was off out of the school grounds. He had never heard of such troubling news before, but he had to find out for sure. This was Naruto that was incapacitated at the football game as his fate was uncertain at present, but Sasuke really had to find out for sure.

###

Naruto was in a hospital bed as he was being treated for exhaustion. It wasn't like him to just faint at a football game as he was staring at the ceiling. When he sat up, he saw the door open as he noticed that a nurse was coming into the room to take him to one of the examination rooms. Getting up, Naruto was escorted to a wheelchair as he was being carted out of his hospital room and into a different one. The place itself was sterile as it had an examination table complete with some of the medical equipment and supplies that one can muster. To his surprise, he saw a man in a white labcoat walk in as he was ready to examine his patient.

"Well, you're Naruto Uzumaki, aren't you?" asked the doctor.

"How long have I been in here?" he asked.

"You've been in here for two hours. Your friend was worried about you."

"You mean-"

"I'm right here, Naruto," said Sasuke as he walked into the examination room.

"Sasuke..."

"Well, shall we get things started?" asked the doctor.

It wasn't long until Naruto had his vitals taken as he had his blood pressure checked and his heart listened to. He even had his temperature taken as he had a doctor's thermometer in his mouth. He really was in the doghouse as he was also suffering from a fever. It was the worst thing that could happen to him as he was about to get the worst verdict ever.

"Well, what's going on with him," asked Sasuke.

"Your friend is suffering from both exhaustion and a high fever," answered the doctor.

"So, what's gonna happen to me?" asked Naruto.

"I consulted your teachers and it seems to me that you have to stay home from school."

"No way! I can't miss school right now! I've got a-"

"Naruto," said Sasuke sternly. "Listen to what the doctor has to tell you."

Without anymore to say, Naruto had a doctor's note handed to him as he was forced to take a few days off from school. With Homecoming starting next week, he didn't want to miss any days of school, but he had no choice but to stay home for a while..., well maybe for the weekend that is... When Naruto was getting ready to check out of the hospital, he noticed one of the football players from Iwa Academy getting sent towards the emergency room as he was suffering from a head injury. Naruto had never seen anything like it before, but he didn't have the physique to play football because of his body shape.

"Hey, Naruto," said Namu as he was in the hospital waiting room. "I guess that you had a pretty good scare there."

"I'm to be kept home for a couple of days," he answered. "By the way, what's gonna happen to that guy from Iwa Academy?"

"He's been suffering from a head injury that he didn't tell his coach about until now."

"At least you're concerned about your teammates," said Sasuke.

"Head injuries are no walk in the park. Some of the coaches even pressure their players to get back in the game without a possible screening for injuries do to sports. It's a sure thing that all of my players get themselves checked because there are times when the injury can get too severe."

"I get your point," said Naruto. "Besides, we all have to be in tiptop shape, you know."

And so, Naruto was checking out of the hospital as he was still in his pajamas. With a doctor's note in his hand, he left for home with Sasuke following behind him. When they got to Naruto's house, they took off their shoes off as they sat down on the couch and took a load off. With the t.v. turned on, they watched another episode of _Regular Show_ as they saw the antics of Mordecai and Rigby in the park. After spending a half an hour watching cartoons, Sasuke had noticed that the clock was approaching nine o'clock as he had to go home right away. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a knock on the door as he got up and answered it. To his surprise, he saw Itachi standing in the doorway as he was there to collect his little brother and head for home.

"Itachi," said Sasuke. "What brings you here?"

"Mom and Dad wanted to take you home, little brother," he answered.

"Yeah, it's getting late, but at least I saw the game. The Konoha Flames did it again."

"You can talk about it when I get you home."

And so, Sasuke left Naruto's house as he followed Itachi towards his sportscar. The car was something that Sasuke always envied his brother for as he was off for home. As for Naruto, however, he was still at home as he had to take it easy for a while as he laid down on the couch. The days of school assignments and homework had took its toll as he fell asleep, for tomorrow was Saturday. He was geared to relax, but he was afraid that he would miss out on school. He didn't want that to happen, but he had no choice but to stay home, regardless.

###

It was in the middle of the night as Naruto woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. When he got upstairs, he went into the bathroom as he took off his pajamas and turned on the hot water in the tub. He was tired, but he wanted to both clean up and soak at the same time as he climbed into the tub. He was just in there as he was busy scrubbing away in the hot water that he was soaking in. At close to two in the morning, he finished up as he got a little tired. He was fighting sleep as he closed his eyes. He was tired, but he was simply falling asleep fast. And then, he was asleep in the tub as he was no match for the power of drowsiness. He was out like a light as he was snoozing in the bathtub in the wee hours of the morning. He was simply overpowered by the greatness of sleep as he was simply overowrked and exhausted from all that schoolwork and homework that he could ever muster, for it was only a temporary home stay for him due to the doctor's note that was given to him earlier.

###

_BAM! BAM BAM!_

Naruto woke up as he was still in the bathtub. When he looked at the clock, he saw that it was eight in the morning as he noticed that the water in the tub was getting cold. Getting out, he drained the bathtub as he got out of there and wrapped a towel around his waist. With his teeth brushed, he simply got out of the bathroom as he got dressed into some clean clothes for the day. It wasn't long until he ran downstairs and checked towards the front door. When he opened it up, he noticed that Sakura was there as she had a bone to pick with him about leaving his gym clothes in her locker.

"What's up?" he asked.

"You left your gym clothes in my locker again!" screamed Sakura as she dug out some dirty gym clothes. "My own gym clothes are trapped in your locker and _these _were put in by mistake!"

"Again? I'll go to the school and-"

"Are you kidding me?! It's Saturday and there's no school! By the way, there's also another football game coming up! That'll give us plenty of time to-"

"School's always locked on the weekends."

Naruto had a point as he took the dirty gym clothes from Sakura. When he went into the laundry room, he checked on some clothes that were washed and dried earlier before he went to the football game last night as he opened up the dryer. To his shock, he saw the same gym clothes that had the Uchiha pin on them as they were clean. It wasn't long until Sakura walked inside the house as she went towards the laundry room. She saw her gym clothes all clean and well-washed as she gathered them up and put them into her flower bag.

"Thanks for washing my gym clothes," she said.

"At least that they're clean," answered Naruto.

"By the way, when was the last time that you went to the doctor? You've been overworked by too much homework."

"I went to the hospital last night after the football game. The doctor told me that I need a couple days off from school."

"Well, that's a bummer. By the way, Sasuke and I are going to the game. Wanna come?"

"I'm up for it, but I don't have a date."

"So? There's nothing wrong with it, you know."

"What time does the game start?"

"The game starts at seven. We'll see you then."

And so, Naruto watched Sakura go out the door as she was on her way to town. When he closed the door, he went into the kitchen as he got out a box of cereal from the cupboard. Gathering a bowl to pour it in, he put the box up as he went to the fridge and got out the milk to pour it in. When he put the milk back in the fridge, he gathered up a spoon as he was eating away at the shredded wheat that was in the bowl. Even though he was still reeling from last night's bout of exhaustion, he still had to take it easy as he also had the fear of missing school looming over his head. After finishing up his breakfast, he took his bowl and spoon to the sink as he washed them and put them in the dish drainer. He later left the kitchen and walked towards the living room and turned on the t.v. to see what was on.

There was a broadcast about tonight's high school football game between the Konoha Flames and the Oto Blasters. He was looking forward to it as he couldn't wait until tonight's game. That also gave him time to clean up his house before he left as he was about to take another trip to Tanzaku Town for another grocery shopping adventure. After he finished cleaning up, he went to his room as he gathered up some coupons for cereal and barbecue sauce while he stuffed them into his longstrap bag. Gathering up his keys, wallet, and cellphone, he was off as he was about to walk towards the bus stop. Even though he was still battling exhaustion, he didn't want that to happen as he got to the bus stop. When the bus arrived, he got on as he also saw that Kankuro was running towards it. With the stroke of luck, there was a silver lining as Naruto and Kankuro were on the bus when it drove towards Tanzaku Town. They were both on a shopping spree as they were heading towards the grocery store that took coupons.

With the upcoming football game looming, Naruto was there as he had his coupons at the ready. He wanted to get some snacks for the game as he went towards the section where it had the chips. With the "Buy One, Get One Free" coupons ready at play, he was good to go as he picked up two of each kind of Doritos he can ever muster. As for Kankuro, however, he was here to pick up some cleaning supplies as he had to do some laundry instead of going to tonight's football game. Somehow, he spotted Naruto grabbing two cubes of Pepsi as he had some coupons at his disposal. There was a stroke of luck in the new neighbor as Kankuro was sure to see what he was doing.

After going through the cash register, Naruto paid for his snacks as he even got out his coupons to check off. With the total being lowered down to only nine hundred yen, Naruto gladly paid the amount as he was out the door with his snacks and soda. When he got out of the store, it was starting to rain as it was about to become a downpour. It also seemed that the football game between the Konoha Flames and the Oto Blasters had been postponed due to the weather after all as Naruto was waiting to get on the Weekend Express bus back to Konoha City. It wasn't long until he saw Kankuro carrying a large bottle of laundry detergent as he even had some fabric softener in his hands as well. When the bus got there, both boys got on with their stuff in their hands as they went straight back towards Konoha City.

The ride took nearly forty-five minutes as the bus had finally made its next stop into Konoha City where the bus stop in the neighborhood awaited Naruto and Kankuro. When they finally got off, they were on their way home in the cold, pouring rain as they were at their houses from the nasty weather. It was getting closer to five in the afternoon as Naruto took off his shoes near the front door and put away his snacks and soda. The October weather was getting more chillier by the minute as the rain outside was being accompanied by a gust of wind. It was terrible outside as Naruto decided to stay indoors for the rest of the day. When he turned on the t.v., he saw a local news bulletin as it posted some bad news as expected.

"It seems that tonight's high school football game between the Konoha Flames and the Oto Blasters has been postponed," said a sports anchor on t.v. "The game itself will be played next Friday as planned for the upcoming homecoming event. As for tonight's high school football game elsewhere, it will a head turner when the Kumo Bombers take on the Otorufu Gunslingers in tonight's mashup that will be broadcasted on Channel Seven's High School Football Game of the Week."

Naruto was aware of the outcome as he went into the kitchen to get himself some dinner. With a pack on instant ramen a mainstay, he set it on the table as he went and turned on the stove, where the kettle stood. Grabbing it and filling it up with water, he set the kettle back down as he decided to wait until the water boiled. He only needed that time before he poured the hot water into the container of instant noodles as he sat at the table. Patience was key as Naruto was still waiting for the water in the kettle to get hot. After all that wait, he heard the kettle whistle as he rushed into the kitchen and opened up the container of noodles. Pouring the hot water into the container of instant ramen, he was good to go as he had to wait for it a little longer. He really was hoping to go with Sasuke and Sakura to tonight's matchup between the Konoha Flames and the Oto Blasters, but it was postponed due to the weather as he saw the rain pour down from outside.

After eating his fill, he got himself a can of Pepsi as he opened it up and set it on the table. He really loved the accompaniment that the soda made with the instant ramen as he drank it down and threw away the can in the aluminum bin. With the rain still pouring on such an October day, the Saturday football game had been postponed as it was about to be either set on Friday or Saturday as the Homecoming special. When dinner was finished, Naruto put his chopsticks in the sink as he threw away the empty ramen cup in theh garbage. He later went into the living room as he heard the doorbell ring. When he went to the door, he opened it up as he saw Sasuke and Sakura at the door. He didn't know what to think as they were still dressed and ready to go to the football game. He also didn't know what to tell them when they would never expect to see the football game being cancelled due to the weather.

"Hey," he said. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We wanted to hang out here," said Sakura.

"I guess that we're not going to the football game after all."

"I just heard the news about that," said Sasuke. "It got postponed and is slated to be the game for Homecoming. Speaking of Homecoming, it's this week, but we all have our days."

"And what days are they?"

"Monday's Pajama Day," said Sakura. "It's the day that everyone dresses up in their pajamas."

"Tuesday's Nerd Day," said Sasuke. "You dress up in geeky clothing and such."

"Wednesday's Occupation Day. It's a day that you dress up into someone who works at a job."

"Thursday's Cowboy Day. You dress up in cowboy clothes.

"And Friday's Spirit Day. That's the day that you wear red and orange, the school's colors."

"Well, I am feeling better already," said Naruto.

"Not so fast; you may be feeling better, but you're staying home..., well you gotta watch out for Deidara and Tobi; they're on truant officer duty."

"It figures... By the way, tonight's football game between the Kumo Bombers and the Otorufu Gunslingers is on tonight."

"We considered to watch the game on t.v., but we decided to go to the movies instead," said Sakura as she was simply right about changing plans. "Tonight's features are the romantic drama, _The Tale of Two Lovers_ and the new film, _Warriors of the Gridiron_. We're all going to the movies because it's better than staying home."

"Well, it's nearing seven o'clock, so we're good."

And so, Naruto tagged along with Sasuke and Sakura as he got on his coat and grabbed his keys, wallet, and cellphone. With the door locked, he left the house as he followed Sasuke and Sakura into town. When they got there, they went towards Konoha Cinemas as it was a vast multiplex full of theaters. Naruto went towards the football-themed film as he let Sasuke and Sakura choose the romantic drama. Everything was fine as they all paid for their tickets to the movie of their choosing as the time for them had been delayed due to the cleanup at the last showing.

###

When Naruto entered the screening room where _Warriors of the Gridiron_ was being played, he sat down in the front row as he had a tub of popcorn and a Pepsi in his hand, along with a pair of 3-D glasses. He was simply waiting for the whole thing to start as he was simply watching the ads on the screen go by. With his cellphone turned off, he was following the rules of the theater just like the rules of the school as he was sitting there in the front row while seeing many people come in and sit in their seats. Just as the trailers were about to precede before the movie started, Naruto saw Hinata sitting next to him as she was also there to see the film.

"Naruto...," she said as she was blushing.

"I guess that you wanted to see this movie after all," he said.

"I saw the romantic drama last week. I wanted to see _this_ one."

"Well, I guess that-" he saw the lights dim towards the dark as the trailers were showing. "Well, it's finally started, but it's gotta go through a lot of trailers."

It wasn't long until Naruto and Hinata put on their 3-D glasses when the screen showed some trailers for some upcoming movies. The first one consisted of a superhero film as it had the name, _Man of Steel_, blazing in metallic grey letters with a giant red "S" hogging the screen. The second trailer featured a horror film as it was very scary for Hinata that she tugged onto Naruto's arm. When the last trailer appeared, it featured scenes of a romantic comedy that was set in the feudal era as it was something that Sasuke and Sakura would want to go and see. And then, the film started as the beginning had a setting that resembled a futuristic football field. Naruto and Hinata were stunned by its visuals that it was an action sci-fi film that was about to take the top spot in the box office. Even though the film was over three hours, there was a brief intermission as everyone in the screening room got their chances to use the bathroom before it resumed.

Naruto quickly ran to the men's room as he had to relieve himself. Even though he held it before the intermission, he was finishing up as he flushed the urinal and washed his hands. After he did his business, he saw Sasuke and Sakura emerge out of the screening room that had the romantic film as they were on their way home. He would soon catch up to them eventually after the long football-themed film ended. After getting himself some more snacks, he returned to the screening room where Hinata was waiting for him as they went back to their seats in the front row. When the film resumed, it continued where it left off as the villain had cornered one of the magical linebackers. Even in 3-D, the film was intense as Naruto and Hinata were on edge unitl they saw the main hero defeat the villain in an all-out battle royale. With a happy ending and the hero getting the girl with the end credits starting to roll, everyone was happy as they clapped with such applause. Even Naruto and Hinata cheered as they enjoyed the long movie. It was a wild ride for a film from start to finish as they left the screening room. With everyone out of the theater, it was starting to lock up as Naruto and Hinata left before it closed.

"This is one film for the ages," said Naruto.

"It's really getting late," said Hinata.

"At least you know where to go, right, Hinata?"

"I guess so...; by the way, if you have any free time over the weekend next time, can we go to the movies again?"

"I very much would like to plan on it. I'll see you later."

And so, Naruto and Hinata went to their homes as the rain was still pouring. The weather was starting to freeze as it wasn't as brisk as it was due to the October weather. When Naruto returned home, he was cold as he unlocked the door and took off his shoes. He was wet as he was starting to get a slight cold. He removed his jacket as he put it on the coat rack while he went upstairs towards the bathroom. Stripping off his clothes, he turned on the hot water as he wanted to take a bath. Even though that the football game was postponed, he sure got a kick out of the movie that he saw as he had a smile on his face. With tomorrow becoming Sunday, he was about to rest up until it was okay to be at school on the day afterwards as he went into the bathtub.

He loved the hot water as he was all warm while he later turned it off. The weather did a number on him as he was starting to cough. He couldn't let the cold get the better of him as he cleaned himself off while relaxing in the tub. After spending the day doing shopping and going to the movies, he was exhausted as he got up and wrapped a towel around his waist. It wasn't long until he went into his room and got into some clean nightclothes as he later went downstairs towards the living room. With a blanket wrapped around him, he sat down on the couch as he turned on the t.v. With the clock at past eleven, he saw the news as it had a sports review. It showed the winning results of the game as the Kumo Bombers had dominated the game over the Otorufu Gunslingers 31-7.

Naruto was aware of the Kumo Bombers' win as he would soon watch the matchup between that team and the Konoha Flames someday. Even with a slight cold, he was still not feeling up to par as he covered in the blanket that he had. He later changed the channel as he was watching some old cartoons. It was the late night hours as late Saturday to early Sunday morning was something that had many things to watch on t.v. Naruto was still exhausted as he had enough energy to get into his pantry and get out a box full of lemon tea bags. He was still feeling the effects of the weather as he opened up the box and got out one of the tea bags. With the kettle full of water, he turned it on as he was waiting for it to boil. After waiting for a few minutes, he heard it whistling as he went into the kitchen to get a cup to put the tea bag in. Tearing off the package, he put the tea bag into the cup as he added some sugar along with some hot water. Stirring it with a spoon, he carefully held the cup as he went back into the living room to watch t.v. With the fall weather getting colder, he had to be aware of the freezing effect of it as he sipped the hot tea in his hands. He couldn't let the cold and exhaustion get to him as he was back in the game with or without a doctor's note. Even though he had to stay home from school, he really didn't want to miss school as it was something that he had to put his mind to. Monday was the start of Homecoming, but he couldn't afford to miss any days in school because of the promise that he made to his parents. He had to get better before the start of Homecoming as he was about to have Sunday off to get his strength back to full par. In the meantime, he enjoyed the movie that he saw with Hinata as he was happy that he didn't get too much homework. It was also mandatory that Konoha Academy could allow a homework-free week during Homecoming as it was also a time to show school spirit, especially when it came to catching up with Sasuke when it came to school assignments... Well..., let's just say that he has this upcoming Sunday to get over his exhaustion and cold sooner or later...

**The End**


End file.
